INDIA’S sloppy fielding nearly cost them defeat against England but skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni admitted it would be difficult to lift standards in his ageing side.
India racked up a huge score of 338 in their clash on Sunday (February 27) in Bangalore, helped by a century from Sachin Tendulkar, but the match ended in a dramatic tie after England skipper Andrew Strauss hit 158.
The host nation’s powerful batting line-up has fired in both World Cup matches so far but there are growing concerns about their bowling and fielding after conceding 283 in their win against Bangladesh and 338 against England.
Dhoni said it would be tough to boost fielding standards due to the make-up of the squad after a cumbersome fielding performance.
“I don’t think we can improve the fielding very much because we have got quite a few slow fielders in the side,” he said.
“But as far as the bowling department is concerned I think we have got a talented group so hopefully in the coming games we can improve a lot.’
Tendulkar is the oldest player in the squad, at 37, with Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan both 32 but a number of other players are also nearing 30.
Giving his reaction to the sensational tie, Dhoni said: “I am not disappointed, not excited. I have got mixed feelings. There were times when we could have lost, and times when we could have won the match.”
“It was a thrilling match because both the teams were facing defeat or victory at some point. All credit to England for the way they batted,” he added.
Asked about his frequent discussions with Sehwag during the England innings, Dhoni said he consulted senior players for the good of the team.
“There are quite a few decisions you have to make. We have some experienced guys and we are always trying to make the best decisions for the team,” he said.
“I always let the fast bowlers set the field when they are bowling. It’s only when they don’t work I set my own.”
Asked about the inclusion of leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, Dhoni said he was not sure whether three seamers would have given the right balance.
He said paceman Ashish Nehra needed to be 100 per cent fit to be considered for selection.
